Centering-machine.



A. A. & J. J. ANTHONY.

(ENTERING MACHINE.

APPLICATION 211.111) JULY 3, 1906.

Patented Jan.4, 1910.

3 SHEETS-33111 1.

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A. A. & J. J. ANTHONY.

OBNTEBING MAUHINE.

nrmcnron rmm JULY 3, 1906.

Patented Jan. 4, 1910. 3 BHBETB- SHEBT 2.

A. A. & J. J. ANTHONY. OENTBRING MACHINE. APPLICATION I'ILBD JULY 3,1906.

945,256. Patented Jan. 4, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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W1 ess fnvenzors. Afl/ MMQQQW UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT A. ANTHONY, 0F BEND, OREGON, AND JOHN J. ANTHONY, 0F MOSCOW,IDAHO.

CENTERING-MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALBERT A. ANTHONY and JOHN J. ANTHONY, citizens ofthe United States, and residents, respectively, of Bend, in the countyof Crook and State of Oregon, and of Moscow, in the county of Latah andState of Idaho, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Centering-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and accuratedescription.

The object of our invention is to provide a new and improved centeringmachine which shall be slmple, rapid and accurate, and so far aspracticable self adjusting, and one whereby the centers of timbers andbars of different sizes and forms of cross section may be readily andcertainly obtained, and with a minimum expenditure of time and effort.

How we obtain our object will be readily understood from an inspectionof the drawings accompanying these specifications and which are toconstitute a part thereof and wherein similar characters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the views. Of these drawings thereare three sheets, of which the figures of Sheet 1 represent ourinvention as it appears with the centering jaws mounted on a cylindricalguide bar; those of Sheet 2 as it appears with the jaws mounted on arectangular guide bar; those of Sheet 3 as it appears with the jawsmounted on a grooved guide bar, or guide plate, those of Sheet 2 being aslight modification and those of Sheet 3 a pronounced modification ofthose of Sheet 1.

Figure 1. represents a front view when the jaws are closed. Fig. 2., Fi5., Fig. 11. and Fig. 13. represent front views when the jaws are open.Fig. 3 and Fig. 12. represent side views when the jaws are open. Fig. 6.represents a side view when the jaws are closed. Fig. 4 and Fig. 7 areperspective views. Fig. 8. is a plan view from above. Fig. 9. is avertical longitudinal section through the lower jaw. Fig. 10. is a planview of the upper face of the lower jaw.

Fig. 14. is a horizontal cross section through U V of Fi 11. Fig.15. isa similar section through Z of Fig. 13. Fig. 16. is a similar sectionthrough S ,T of Fig. 11.

A fuller understanding may be had from the following complete anddetailed description.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 3, 1906.

Patented Jan. 4, 1910.

semu No. 324,664.

M and N are a pair of centering jaws with V-shaped faces and mounted ona vertical guide bar B. The lower j aw is stationary and preferablyfirmly secured to said guide bar. The upper jaw is made to slide on theguide bar and is provided with a collar E e11- circling the same. Theouter or front ends of the jaws will have their V-shaped faces furthersloped to a considerable degree to permit the piece that is to becentered to enter the more readily and to exercise a wedging action uponthe jaws whereby they will be forced apart until the entering piece canbe thrust against the punch P which marks the center. These jaws arefurther pivoted at their rear ends to a pair of the opposite angles of acollapsible rhombus formed of four flat bars or carriers C of equallength pivoted together at their ends so as to move freely on the rivetsR and bearing a fifth bar or center carrier 0 of equal length pivoted atits ends to the middle points of a pair of opposite sides of saidrhombus. At the center of said center carrier and midway between saidjaws is mounted a center unch P which if the machine be proper yconstructed will maintain a position midway between the angles or Vs ofsaid jaws at all times regardless of their position.

A series of adjusting holes h in the guide bar B and an adjusting pin pfor insertion therein are provided for the purpose of preliminary orpartial adjustment of the slidable aw N, for with the wide range of workcontemplated it will be impracticable to give sufficient flare to thejaws to acconnnodate all the different sizes of material that may bepresented. It is therefore expedient to provide limits between which thejaws may be self adjusting, which is the object of the adjusting pin andits accompaniment of adjusting holes. These adjusting holes are supposed to be so numbered as to show at what position of limits the jawsare set, which numbering has not been made to appear on the drawingsince it does not form an essential feature of our invention, althoughit is our intention to employ it and we claim the privilege of so doing.The adjusting pin p is attached to one end of a small chain a secured atits other end to the slidable jaw N which is thereby supported in itsproper position of limits while awaitin the entrance I modified formwherein the grooved guide bar is employed, as shown in the figures ofSheet 3, be made use of the chain will not be essential and if employedat all its purpose will be to prevent the loss of the adjusting pin, andfor this purpose it will preferably be attached to a stationary part ofthe machine. And the adjusting holes will not be located in the groovedguide bar but in an extension II of the upper jaw N, as shown in Fig.11, or in the upper end of an adjusting bar H to which the aw N may besecured, as shown in Fig. 13. In either case the pin will be long enoughto project over the guide bar, upon which it will rest while awaitingthe entrance of the work to be centered. Also, when this modified formwherein the grooved guide bar is used is em ployed, said guide groovewill be preferably of T-shaped cross section (but it may be of Lshapedcross section) and the slidable aw N instead of being provided with acollar encircling the guide bar will be provided with a T-shaped (or anL-shaped) lip L engaging with said guide groove, as shown in figures ofSheet 3. Or said jaw may be secured to an adjusting bar H in engagementwith said guide groove, as shown in Fig. 13.

Instead of a single center carrier 0, as shown in the drawings of Sheet1 and Sheet 2, a similar pair of intersecting carriers 0 may be used,the punch being mounted at their common center, as shown in Fig. 11. Ora pair of half length carriers 0, as shown in Fig. 13, may be used,their intersecting ends being pivoted on the punch, their other endspivoted on the centers of a pair of adjacent sides of the collapsiblerhombus. And further, when the form employing the grooved guide bar isused, a thrust block 1), as shown in Fig. 11, will be provided to playin the guide groove and receive the force of the thrust of the enteringpiece to be centered, the object being to prevent the distortion of thecenter carrier and the consequent throwing of the punch out ofalinement, said thrust block to be secured to the center punch when apair of center carriers is employed, or to the carrier or the puncheither (or to both) when a single carrier is employed, which lattermethod will probably be the usual practice. However, when the slidablejaw N is mounted on the adjusting bar H, as in Fig. 13, no thrust blockwill be necessary, inasmuch as said adjusting bar is supposed to extendbelow said jaw far enough to at all times maintain a position behind thecenter punch and so perform all the functions of the thrust block.

When the form of the machine is that shown in the drawings of Sheet 1 orSheet 2 no thrust block will be necessary, inasmuch as the punch issupposed to play close to the guide bar which will be able to performthe duties of the thrust block. But the block may be used in all thetypes of the invention.

The manner of operation of our machine is as followsi lVhen the materialto be centered is ready the upper jaw is raised or lowered, as the casemay be, to a position corresponding to the desired limits and theadjusting pin inserted in the proper hole to maintain it in thatposition. The end of the piece to be marked is then thrust (with one ofits diagonals in a vertical position if it be not a cylindrical body) between the outer ends of the jaws and forced back spreading the aws untilit strikes the punch which marks the center. l/Vhen centering lightmaterial it will not as a rule be necessary to make the preliminaryadjustment just described. The jaws being usually left in a position ofnarrow limits all that is necessary is to catch the upper corner of thetimber (which is easily done by raising its outer end a little above thehorizontal) just under the outer edge of the upper jaw and giving it alight lift followed by a forward thrust which will cause the jaws toexpand and permit the piece to strike the punch, the object to beattained. This condition presupposes that the jaws are of equal length,and the operation would be facilitated by making the upper jaw somewhatlonger than the lower one, whereas in our drawings we have chosen tomake the lower jaw the longer as would be best when handling heavytimbers. The length of the jaws however forms no particular feature ofour invention and we would contend for the privilege of using thatparticular length which we found best adapted to the particular class ofwork to be performed.

Having fully explained our invention and its mode of operation we claimthe following as new and patentable and pray that Letters Patent begranted us thereon:

1. In a centering machine, the combination of a guide bar, radiallyseparable jaws mounted on said guide bar, V-shaped opposing faces tosaid jaws, a collapsible rhombus pivoted on said aws, a center carriermounted on said rhombus, a center punch mounted on said carrier and atthe center of said rhombus, a thrust block for said punch slidable onsaid guide bar and connected to the center carrier, and suitable meansfor securing said guide bar, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a centering machine, a guide bar, a. stationary and a slidable jawmounted thereon, V-shaped and opposing faces to said jaws, a chainsecured to said slidable aw, an adjusting pin attached to said chain,holes in said guide bar for the insertion of said pin, a center punchand means connected with the punch and said jaws to maintain structedand arranged to maintain said sald punch centrally between the jaws, aspunch centrally between the aws, as shown 10 shown and described. anddescribed.

3. In a centering machine, a support, a ALBERT A. ANTHONY. pair ofradially separable centering jaws JOHN J. ANTHONY. thereon, said jawshaving outward flaring WVitnesses:

V-shaped faces, a centering punch, a carrier CHAS. L. GRITMAN,

therefor connected with said jaws and con- O. L. THOMPSON.

